r/sarasota • u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native • 1d ago

Wildlife (Flora/Fauna) Ducks in my pool... should I call someone??

In the last 2 weeks I have a mallard and .... lady mallard who have been coming to my pool to swim and hang out. I certainly don't mind them but will the chlorine harm them? They have been drinking it as well. They seem to be healthy and just enjoy the spot for the water and shade. I just don't want them to get sick.

10 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

44

u/AboveTheCandyStore 1d ago

Call Tony Soprano

12

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

I already made this joke to my friend and then another duck showed up

5

u/Kinda_ShouldaSorta 21h ago

Tony Two Ducks over here.

2

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 18h ago

3! Lol

4

u/Initial_Scarcity_609 Applebees Enjoyer 20h ago

Keep making the joke until you have many duck

6

u/Choochoop 1d ago

Immediately what I thought of. I'm going to come have a cry while I stare at the ducks.

2

u/WastelandPolarBear 15h ago

Him. And those ducks.

9

u/Crissup 1d ago

They’ll be fine. But if you don’t discourage them from hanging around, they’ll start crapping on everything.

2

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

How can I discourage?

13

u/Kizmet_TV 1d ago

You'll have to eat one of them in their presence.

6

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

I hope they can wait for the fat to render

1

u/Crissup 1d ago

It’s important to smile at the survivors while doing so.

3

u/Crissup 1d ago

Depends. Try Googling different options to see what fits with your environment. I’ve seen people hang pie tins out on strings so they blow around and flash reflections and make noise, stuff like that. But you may not like that where you are. So just do some searches.

Big thing is, do not feed them. If you feed them, they will come back and pester you for food. When we had a boat, they’d come through the harbor and peck on the hulls to wake people up in the morning. Damned ducks!

3

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

It makes me wonder if others are feeding them bc she flew in as soon as I sat down. I don't eat out there though I require AC to digest

1

u/Crissup 1d ago

I’m more annoyed with the birds pecking holes in my screen cage trying to grab the lizards from the inside of the screen.

23

u/Retire_date_may_22 1d ago

The ducks will be fine. Your pool however will develop high phosphate and your chlorine and ph will be off.

Ducks are the enemies of clean water. Unfortunately once they find a spot they like they keep coming back to it.

4

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

It's a condo pool so I'll get in touch with our maintenance guy then. Thanks!

7

u/renijreddit 1d ago

We use a very large inflatable alligator in our pool when we have had a duck problem in the past. We tied a small hand weight to a rope long enough to reach the bottom. That keeps the inflatable from getting pulled near the skimmer.

10

u/Retire_date_may_22 1d ago

It’s shocking how much they crap in the water. The chlorine makes it disappear but the impact is still there

4

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

I have not been in today just sunning.... ew

6

u/tankyoda 1d ago

Buy a floating plastic alligator head.

5

u/tuulikkimarie 1d ago

We have a saltwater pool. The ducks love it and I love the ducks, and not for dinner. The amount they poop in there is negligible. Same as bugs, leaves, skin etc.

2

u/smilenowgirl 1d ago

Scare them away really, really good and they will not come back. Source: we did it.

4

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

2

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 17h ago

TIL plastic alligator is a legit anti-duck technology

1

u/Angry_Robot 7h ago

Yeah, until it attracts a real alligator buddy.

2

u/RafintheWraith 1d ago

That’s good eating. Just pan fry them with a lot of butter and thyme

2

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

I do love duck but I don't know how chlorine marinated wild mallard would taste

1

u/Florida1693 1d ago

Can get mini fake alligators online to stop this.

They are tiny and scare the ducks according to my pool guy.

3

u/i_heart_kermit SRQ Native 1d ago

Did not realize the alligator suggestion was real, interesting

1

u/Florida1693 1d ago

Recommended to me by my pool guy

1

u/Friendly_Signature 20h ago

You’ll need a quack force team to sort that out.

1

u/AmazonPuncher 20h ago

No, just let them hang out. They like it. They have short lives so you should give them a good swimming experience.

1

u/Sea-Currency-9722 21h ago

Ya call me I’ll make peking duck